Page 74 of New York Love Stories: Vol. 2

“She did? When?” Cammie nods.Fuck. “I assumed we weren’t telling anyone this weekend.” Scratching the back of my neck, I redirect my gaze to the horizon. “It just happened.” When I look back at her, I ask, “We haven’t even had time to discuss it.”

This really surprises me. Cammie’s one of her closest friends, so I understand her sharing secrets, but I’d think that Tealey would talk to me first. Still shocked, I start rambling, “It was one kiss, and then that led to another, and hours later?—”

“Hours later?” She gasps, her eyes going wide. “You kissed Tealey?”

Locking my lips, I don’t say another word because anything I say could be used to tease me relentlessly.

“You kissed Tealey for hours last night?” Cammie’s mouth hangs open as she waits for me to answer.

Distract. Distract. Distract.Shit. I’ve already fucked this up. “What were you talking about?”

“Oh, no. Too late for that, Rad. The cat is so far out of the bag that it’s down the street.” Stepping up to me, she squints and points her finger at me. “You kissed Tealey. Tell me everything.” Her tough-guy act cracks, and she giggles in delight. “You kissed Tealey.”

Tealey is going to kill me. “You can’t tell anyone, Cam. Tealey and I agreed to keep everything on the down low until we figure things out.”

“She must be freaking out.”

“Why would she freak out?”

“What do you mean why would she freak out? She’s crushed on you since the day you met. Strawberries. Hard as rock abs. Chocolate eyes.”

“Chocolate eyes?” Stepping closer, I say, “Never mind. She’s crushed on me since the day we met? She said that?”

“I’ve had to listen to that story so many times over the years.” She can’t contain her smile. Neither can I because Tealey Bell has been attracted to me as long as I’ve been attracted to her. This affection hasn’t been one-sided. “I always knew you two were meant to be, but I didn’t see it coming just yet.”

“Neither did I . . . What do you mean by just yet?”

The water drifts over our feet, and though it’s cold as ice this morning, we don’t move. We just let our feet sink into the sand. Shaking her head at me, she laughs. “You were kissing for hours. Making out like teenagers last night. Apparently, I’m not the one who’s gone crazy.” She pokes me with her elbow. Tealey and Cam are a lot alike that way. “Making up for lost time much? Yeah.”

Swirling her finger willy-nilly in the air, she adds, “You two are the crazy ones. Crazy for each other. I knew it!”

“You’ve gone mad with power, Cam. It was a tidbit in a deep well of information. It’s not like we had sex.”She laughs.

“You can downplay it all you want, but people who don’t want to have sex don’t kiss for hours.” She grabs a stick and draws a big heart in the sand. “Sex is next, my friend, and I cannot wait.” Looking back at me, she says, “That came out wrong. Rest assured, I have no intention of being there or wanting to see anything regarding you or her or you two together having sex.” She laughs, carvingRW loves TBin the center of the heart.

I should be willing a wave to wash the sand art away, but instead, I’m standing here like an idiot admiring it. Not because it’s particularly clever, but the idea behind it speaks to something deep inside me.

Cam says, “You really like her.” Not a question or a revelation. There’s no giddy laugh or teasing tone. Her softer joy is still seen in her expression, genuine in her care. She wants the best for Tealey, but I also know she wants what’s best for me as well.

“I do.”

Coming over, she bumps me with her hip. “You’re going to make me cry, Rad.”

“Why?”

“Happiness. For you and her.”

“I appreciate that, Cam.” Looking back in the direction of the house, I’m reminded of everyone being there, people I’d normally not care about sharing things with. But I can’t do that just yet when it’s Tealey I’m seeing. Especially not with the Marlow situation still unsettled. “Do you mind keeping this between us? Just give me a little time, giveusthat time. Tealey seems happy, so I don’t want it ruined before?—”

“Before what?”

The question plagues me because I don’t have an easy answer. “Before I fuck it up.”

She throws the stick in the distance and nods. “Love is complicated, but don’t doubt what you know is right.”

“Love? That’s a little heavy-handed, Cammie.”

“I’ve waited more than seven years for this day. Don’t ruin it for me.”

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